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Valley Center High

Q: Is Valley Center High a good school?

Valley Center High ranks 1217 th of 2137 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1217^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,137 California High Schools

Better than 43% of California high schools

Summary

Valley Center High serves 1,075 students in grades 9–12 in Valley Center, California, within the Valley Center-Pauma Unified area. Its 2025–2026 graduation rate was 99%, well above the state’s 88%, while chronic absenteeism was 24%, above the state’s 18%. The key academic finding is that the school outperformed its district in ELA, math, and science, but fell below California in all three, with the largest state gap in math.

Math is a relative strength among nearby schools, even though it remains the biggest concern against the state. Valley Center’s 21% math proficiency rate ranked second among eight nearby schools with results; its 48% in ELA ranked fourth of eight, and its 24% in science ranked third of seven. The school exceeded district results in each subject: 48% versus 31% in ELA, 21% versus 19% in math, and 24% versus 18% in science. But state results were 49%, 38%, and 36%, respectively; math was 18 percentage points below the state. Its 99% graduation rate was the highest among nearby schools with reported results, while its 0% dropout rate contrasts with chronic absenteeism that remains above the state rate.

Scores show a mixed longer-term picture: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA fell 4 percentage points, math rose less than 1 point, and science rose 7 points. SchoolDigger places the school at the 43rd statewide percentile with 2 stars, down from the 60th percentile two years earlier; it ranks behind Escondido High and Bonsall High among nearby schools with current rankings. SchoolDigger’s group rankings vary sharply: its ranking for Special Education Students rose from the 21st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 77th in 2025–2026, while its ranking for Migrant Students fell from the 55th to the 4th percentile. The school’s free/reduced lunch eligible share was 62% in 2024–2025, around the middle of nearby schools; its latest student-teacher ratio was 21.4 in 2023–2024, so it cannot be fairly ranked against nearby ratios reported for a different year.

1,075

Students ?

21.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$35,427

Per pupil spending ?

61.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

31322 Cole Grade Rd.
Valley Center, CA 92082-3867

(760) 751-5500

District: Valley Center-Pauma Unified

Feeder schools for Valley Center High:

Elementary:	Lilac
	Pauma Elementary
	Valley Center Elementary
	Valley Center Primary
Middle:	Valley Center Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.3%

White:

20.6%

American Indian:

7.8%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Valley Center High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓99% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (31% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg24%

California avg42%

1,217^th of 2,137

California public high schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Valley Center-Pauma Unified

869^th of 968Valley Center-Pauma Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	1217 of 2137	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.1	1187 of 2162	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.7	860 of 2159	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	952 of 2170	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.9	1261 of 2123	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.8	492 of 1290	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.6	684 of 2133	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.0	631 of 2017	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	70.5	590 of 2021	70.8%	★★★★☆
2016	70.6	548 of 2039	73.1%	★★★★☆
2015	73.6	478 of 1994	76.0%	★★★★☆
2013	68.9	324 of 2426	86.6%	★★★★☆
2012	66.5	383 of 2354	83.7%	★★★★☆
2011	64.5	409 of 2367	82.7%	★★★★☆
2010	63.0	444 of 2281	80.5%	★★★★☆
2009	65.3	331 of 2238	85.2%	★★★★☆
2008	67.0	324 of 2117	84.7%	★★★★☆
2007	68.2	295 of 2063	85.7%	★★★★☆
2006	62.0	426 of 1968	78.4%	★★★★☆
2005	67.3	289 of 1901	84.8%	★★★★☆
2004	64.5	274 of 1653	83.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	28.9	851 of 1161	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	406 of 555	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.5	302 of 1117	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	55.9	329 of 1052	68.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.4	930 of 1085	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	836 of 1064	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.7	459 of 1044	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	138 of 467	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	28.8	790 of 941	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	539 of 938	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	1088 of 1865	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	1018 of 1906	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.0	828 of 1915	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	809 of 1915	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.2	1149 of 1858	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.2	477 of 1054	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	603 of 1833	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	666 of 1760	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	1300 of 1880	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	1120 of 1900	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.4	798 of 1902	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.4	993 of 1917	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.9	1313 of 1861	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.3	831 of 1814	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.8	661 of 1742	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	150 of 358	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	16.0	354 of 410	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.0	130 of 299	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.4	210 of 290	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	1453 of 1999	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.3	1283 of 2013	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.3	984 of 2026	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.3	1270 of 2030	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	1245 of 1943	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.2	370 of 1126	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.4	798 of 1937	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.1	571 of 1862	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	1170 of 1932	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	1217 of 1942	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.2	844 of 1948	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.2	997 of 1963	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	1167 of 1916	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.6	445 of 1122	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.7	722 of 1880	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	577 of 1834	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	10.6	79 of 82	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	72 of 85	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.2	38 of 85	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	422 of 577	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.4	302 of 574	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	11 of 16	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	7 of 16	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.9	11 of 15	26.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	8 of 11	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	8 of 16	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	85.6	3 of 21	85.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	286 of 1235	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	29.0	906 of 1252	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	956 of 1216	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	874 of 1197	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	598 of 1132	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.0	775 of 1155	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	637 of 1173	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.3	500 of 1193	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	722 of 1204	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.2	442 of 1222	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.2	375 of 1173	68.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2026)77th percentile+34 vs school

Homeless (2026)58th percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)47th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile-4 vs school

Native American (2025)31st percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)27th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)27th percentile-14 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)14th percentile-46 vs school

Migrant (2026)4th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Science24%-12 vs state

Mathematics21%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Valley Center High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Valley Center High	Public	9-12	31322 Cole Grade Rd.	Valley Center	92082	San Diego County	Valley Center-Pauma Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 751-5500	1,075	51	21.4	61.7%	221 (20.6%)	7 (0.7%)	680 (63.3%)	20 (1.9%)	84 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (5.9%)	42	1217^th of 2137 public high schools	43.1%		43.1	1187^th of 2162 public high schools	45.1%	30			24.3		24.1				48.4	48.4				20.5	20.5	$35,427	$34,386	$1,041
Oak Glen High	Public	9-12	14172 West Oak Glen Rd.	Valley Center	92082	San Diego County	Valley Center-Pauma Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 751-0455	78	3	31.2	76.9%	4 (5.1%)	1 (1.3%)	55 (70.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (11.5%)	15.3	1755^th of 2137 public high schools	17.9%		11.9	1920^th of 2162 public high schools	11.2%	165			10.5		10.0				23.7	23.7				5.1	5.1	$40,764	$40,006	$758
All Tribes Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	34320 Valley Center Rd.	Valley Center	92082	San Diego County	All Tribes Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 749-5982	82	6	13.6	96.3%	6 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (72.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (8.5%)								(n/a)
Bonsall High	Public	9-12	7350 West Lilac Rd.	Bonsall	92003	San Diego County	Bonsall Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 305-5700	342	21	16.0	66.7%	79 (23.1%)	6 (1.8%)	183 (53.5%)	8 (2.3%)	33 (9.6%)	3 (0.9%)	30 (8.8%)	45.1	1139^th of 2137 public high schools	46.7%		46.9	1100^th of 2162 public high schools	49.1%	39			33.3		32.2				50.9	50.9				13.8	13.8	$32,128	$31,352	$776
Valley High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	410 North Hidden Trails Rd.	Escondido	92027	San Diego County	Escondido Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 291-2240	269	18	14.8	91.4%	11 (4.1%)	3 (1.1%)	253 (94.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	8.7	2019^th of 2137 public high schools	5.5%		8.7	2084^th of 2162 public high schools	3.6%	65				3.1	3.1				8.9	8.9				0.0	0.0	$42,960	$41,414	$1,546
Escondido High	Public	9-12	1535 North Broadway	Escondido	92026	San Diego County	Escondido Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 291-4000	1,656	90	18.3	82.7%	192 (11.6%)	27 (1.6%)	1,334 (80.6%)	79 (4.8%)	10 (0.6%)	3 (0.2%)	11 (0.7%)	60.5	806^th of 2137 public high schools	62.3%		52.9	971^st of 2162 public high schools	55.1%	165		26.4		31.6	26.7				66.2	66.2				30.5	30.5	$33,957	$32,606	$1,351
Escondido Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	1868 East Valley Pkwy.	Escondido	92027	San Diego County	Escondido Charter High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 737-3154	932	54	17.3	35.2%	347 (37.2%)	15 (1.6%)	415 (44.5%)	91 (9.8%)	12 (1.3%)	3 (0.3%)	49 (5.3%)								(n/a)
Twin Oaks High	Public	9-12	158 Cassou Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2555	192	19	10.0	56.3%	45 (23.4%)	6 (3.1%)	120 (62.5%)	11 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	9 (4.7%)	9.5	1979^th of 2137 public high schools	7.4%		11.2	1956^th of 2162 public high schools	9.5%	23			3.9		4.8				10.7	10.7				3.5	3.5	$46,876	$44,916	$1,960
Foothills High	Public	6-12	158 Cassou Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2544	101	5	20.2	57.4%	32 (31.7%)	2 (2.0%)	61 (60.4%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.0%)								(n/a)										38.5					15.4	$19,780	$19,204	$576
Orange Glen High	Public	9-12	2200 Glen Ridge Rd.	Escondido	92027	San Diego County	Escondido Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 291-5000	1,788	94	19.1	89.0%	80 (4.5%)	26 (1.5%)	1,608 (89.9%)	53 (3.0%)	7 (0.4%)	5 (0.3%)	8 (0.4%)	39.3	1297^th of 2137 public high schools	39.3%		43.2	1185^th of 2162 public high schools	45.2%	112		21.3		30.4	21.8				48.6	48.6				16.7	16.7	$29,482	$28,278	$1,204

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Center High

What is the racial makeup of Valley Center High?

Students at Valley Center High are 63% Hispanic, 21% White, 8% American Indian, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Valley Center High a good school?

Valley Center High ranks 1217^th of 2137 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Valley Center High in?

Valley Center-Pauma Unified

How many students attend Valley Center High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,075 students attended Valley Center High.

What schools feed into Valley Center High?

Valley Center High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Lilac
Elementary : Pauma Elementary
Elementary : Valley Center Elementary
Elementary : Valley Center Primary
Middle : Valley Center Middle

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.